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Bruce Arians wanted a fast start. He got it. What was striking to me about Saturday night’s demolition of the (admittedly bad) Houston Texans was that everything the Cardinals have been saying about their team was indeed true. The offensive guys kept saying they were a lot more comfortable and knew their stuff. The defense promised they’d be good again even with the linebacker losses. There is a ton of time still before the games count for real, but that’s what happened to start. Why does that strike me? Because I have been around plenty of teams for this franchise and optimism is always high early in camp — and then the games start. It’s rare when the optimism matches.

— Carson Palmer looked really good. This is the guy the Cardinals are talking about when they talk about Palmer’s ability to lead them where they want to go.

— I’ve heard a lot of things said about rookie wide receiver John Brown. Here’s how one Cardinals’ player described him tonight: “He’s like Wes Welker.” If he can make that kind of impact, turning third-and-longs into first downs, man, does this offense have potential for being incredibly dangerous.

— I’ll have more on G Jonathan Cooper tomorrow after I watch the game again, but I thought he held up OK. He gave up the sack to J.J. Watt, but again, we’re talking about the best defensive player in the league. “I definitely have a lot of room to improve,” Cooper said. “I got those jitters out of the way now.”

Cooper will get better (and thank goodness when he was rolled up on from behind he wasn’t hurt. Cooper said it was the same leg he broke last year. It shouldn’t be a problem but we’ll see in the light of day.

— I’m not sure how this team will sort through its wide receivers. I really believe Walt Powell can play in this league, but he’s stuck behind a solid five of Fitz, Floyd, Ginn, John Brown and Jaron Brown. I mean, Floyd and Ginn didn’t suit up and the passing game didn’t miss a beat.

— Logan Thomas might be that guy Arians talks about when he talks about gamers, because goodness, the Logan Thomas who played against the Texans has not been the guy I’ve noticed on the practice field. Not that Thomas has been bad in camp, but it was his calmness in the pocket that struck me. Maybe Arians and Tom Moore will turn out to be quarterback whisperers. Long, long way to go, of course. But 11-for-12 for 113 yards and a TD? Can’t start much better.

— Because the offense was so crisp it is easy to forget about the defense, but it was solid. “We have to look at the film to be sure,” defensive coordinator Todd Bowles said. “We did some good things. We were out of out depth a few times in the running game. All in all, a good start.”

— Speaking of good starts, rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro couldn’t have been better in his battle to get a job. Boomed kickoffs deep or through the end zone all night, made all three field goals (easily) and three extra points. Jay Feely gets his turn in Minnesota.

That’s it for tonight. I’ll post on the blog tomorrow, and it’s back to practice Monday. We’re only halfway through #CardsCamp.

Yup, I think the Cardinals reporters were right in the game. We should keep 6 WRs. Jaron Brown and Walt Powell played really well. Brittan Golden looked really good as well in the slant routes and the nice tip toe catch thrown by Logan Thomas.

Obviously, a very good start. Hopefully we can limit our injuries and continue to get better. Lots of competition for the few roster spots available making for some difficult decisions going forward for Keim and Arians, for example, Feely or Catanzaro? And, is Ginn a sure thing or do we go with the younger guys like Jaron Brown and Powell ? One thing is certain, other teams will be looking to pick our bones and will be scooping up some very good players at cutdown time. Just four more weeks to go. Keep going.

Disappointed with the performance. Cards played terrible at best, they could have played a lot better and I expected so much more out of …….

Haha, jk.

What an outstanding performance and that was everything any one of us fans could have remotely hoped for in a first preseason game. O line can show a little improvement of course, but then again, its Watt and Clowney, so some slack can be cut on that for now. God I hope what we saw in Drew Stanton, Logan Thomas and John Brown is what we can expect in the future.

I think that getting that leg rolled on could be a good thing for Cooper. If it didn’t get hurt that will help him to realize that the injury is healed and the leg is strong enough to take hits. That was a great game! Keep playing like that, and this team is going to the playoffs! Of course it’s only preseason so I will try to temper that enthusiasm for now, but they looked really good!

On behalf of all Red C douters back on draft day, I would like to say “our collective bad.” Boy does John Brown look impressive. I can see why you did not want to risk waiting to select Smokey closer to his projection, especially when you had that extra 3rd rd pick in your pocket.

I would like to see Logan Thomas play in the 2nd qtr in preseason, but it is looking like Ryan Lindley’s days here are numbered.

I acknowledge that we played a bad Texans team that is still learning a new system but no doubt the Cards looked like a well oiled machine.

My thoughts on the Offense in first preseason game against the Houston Texans:
QB: Carson Palmer looked really sharp and looks much improved from his 2013 form. His flawless performance gives the Cardinals a lot of optimism going forward. Drew Stanton did a good job. For a QB that hasn’t played in the regular season for years, he showed a lot of poise. Logan Thomas was accurate pretty much all day. He can make short and medium throws to perfection. There were a few plays where he threw some deep balls and it turned out to be overthrown but was erased by penalties. This was a wonderful and promising start for this rookie. He looked like a seasoned veteran that has played for years. All of the QBs threw touchdown and all of them had scoring drives. Really excellent job by all the QBs.

RB: Probably the most ineffective group against the Texans but at the same time, our starting OL did not start all game. I have no worries about this group. When our OL is up there, this team gets solid numbers. Jonathan Dwyer had a nice effort on his first carry of the day for a first down but was erased by a penalty. Stepfan Taylor was pretty much banged up but like I said, our starting OL wasn’t there the majority of the game. Zach Bauman and Parmele looked really good. Sharp off the edge and explosiveness when given space.

WR: Michael Floyd and Ted Ginn were not in the game. Fitzgerald looked really smooth. Caught both balls thrown his way. His hamstring issue of the past seems like a non-issue now. There were 3 WRs that I was impressed with, the standout rookie WR John Brown looked phenomenal. He was open almost all game. Jaron Brown and Walt Powell were extremely effective and their training camp success translated on the field. Both might make the team after all. Brittan Golden seems like the odd man out but he looked solid all game.

TE: John Carlson’s erased touchdown was a bummer but he looked really good. Rob Housler’s big catch and run gives this team nice dimensions. Troy Niklas is still a work in progress but I expect great things from him in the future. Darren Fells dropped a wide open pass by Drew Stanton which would have given the team a first down around the goal line. He was also beaten by #1 draft pick J. Clowney off the edge. He has potential but still is a work on progess.

OL: The starting group was good overall. Jonathan Cooper was beat by one of the best DL in football. The goal was to end strong and he did that. He is improving and I think we can all see that. Just next time when he fears as though he is injured, step off the field so that it doesn’t get worse. He scared the heck out of me when I was watching the game. Ted Larsen has some mental issues to correct but he was solid almost all day long. The starting OL had a good performance as a whole.

Interested to hear all of the takes on the blog today which I’m sure are going to be surrounding the third string QB. As the first person to call for us to draft Thomas and with all of the time I spent defending/debating him I have to admit it felt good to see him perform well in his first NFL live action, but I wish people would stop spending so much time debating this kid and just let him develop. With the way Carson and Drew played against the starting defense Logan isn’t going to see a meaningful snap this season and it would be a colossal upset for him not to make the final 53 so he is who he is; a developmental QB with franchise potential. I think it was far more exciting to see players like Massie, Minter, our entire WR corp, Kenny Demens specials teams play and the much criticized Rob Housler making plays! Can’t wait to see this team continue to progress and build off of this impressive start.

After seeing Thomas play last night, I knew my confidence in Keim was well placed. If they correct his issues, someday this could be his team. I swear, I saw a leader in the pocket, and that’s a tough thing to say for a devout Cardinals fan who has had to deal with our QB Carousel since Warner.

Was unable to watch the game out here in Virginia, but as always I listened to the broadcast and I was very impressed. Yes it’s pre-season, but this team seems hungry for victories and that opening drive sure sounded like a thing of beauty. Lets go Cards!!!

Would offer Top Ten notes, most of these are Captain Obvious, admittedly, but still fun to tout the Cards:
1. Walt Powell surely will make the final 53, Arians has said he’ll keep the best 53, Walt is among them, Brown Bros unreal, and Golden awfully good;
2. Cooper looks out of shape compared to last year, also looks like his body won’t do as instructed by the mind…he could be a year away from being well;
3. Sowell can’t play at NFL level, surprised Potter has not gotten even stronger;
4. Fells and Niklas need lots of work on blocking technique, but talent and want to is there;
5. Bauman makes practice squad, Dwyer real deal…but no backfield speed after Duke Ellington;
6. They’ll keep Lindley to end b/c of injury risk but Logan a lock;
7. Wolfley’s best story yet… of asking Tom Moore how he lined up same guys in Indy in same offense for 14 years and they still couldn’t be stopped, Moore said: “you know where the airport is right? but I know who will get there first” ;
8. How does Adrian Tracey not make the team? And Marcus Bernard? Wow: Stinson stout and Martin long:
9. Defense is scary deep, stout, fast, strong…:
10 Pasch is right, Cards were arguably the best in 2nd half last year (bearing Seattle at home despite 4 INTs, e.g.), at home Super Bowl not far fetched…
Go Cardinals.

Damn, what’s not to like??? Plays being made on both sides of the ball, our starting QB looking great, the offense was humming even without 2 starting WR’s, and ( drumroll. please ) NO INJURIES! The score doesn’t even matter. It matters that you execute and that you end the night with no one lost to injury.

I LOVE that Palmer is looking for and finding his TE’s. The TD to Carlson that got called back was a thing of beauty. THAT is what I see Carlson bringing here to this team. And it didn’t take long to see it! NICE! And Housler is clearly a play-maker when he can stay on the field. It will be a damn shame if we are not utilizing the TE much more this year than we have in the past because THESE GUYS CAN MAKE SOME PLAYS. And with the firepower we have at WR, Palmer has never had it better.

If this O-line comes together and plays to its potential, this offense if gonna be a beast.

First, let me say the Texans are really bad. I watched every preseason game and no one is as bad as them (although the raiders are not far off) . How is Fitzpatrick in the NFL. Reminds me of Kevin Kobb.

With that being said, the cards did what you should against a bad team. On defense, they stopped the run, got sacks and got Ints.
On offense, they scored a TD on the opening drive and played pretty flawless the rest of the way.

Things that stood out;

If I am a team that needs WRs, I’m watching the cards and seeing who gets cut. Frankly, they could easily carry 7 wrs. Besides Fitz, Floyd, and Ginn, The Brown brothers, Britton Golden and Walt Powell all showed the deserve a spot. But that is 7. Wow a good receiver or two will be cut. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Teddy Williams played a nice corner and made a couple good plays, Adrian Tracy played well and got to the QB, Jo Jo Dickson had a safety on a sack and Bernard had a nice pick and put pressure on the QB. Yet all of them have a uphill battle to make the team.

I was disappointed in Bruce Gatson. He played but did not show up like I saw on the videos.

We desperately need Abraham back. Acho and Okafor are not quick twitch outside passrushers. Okafor made several nice plays against the run though.

Rob Housler haters might have spoke too soon.

Finally, I will agree with Darren and say THAT Logan Thomas has not been seen before. He was cool under pressure, accurate, and showed off that big arm. He looked as good as any rookie QB in the NFL and a future franchise QB. I was thinking this guy will make me eat my words. Moore and Arians need to get the coach of the year already for fixing him.

But…Lets see him string together a few good games before we say he is the real deal though. Remember, he is the same guy who went out against UNC and put up 293 yrs and 3 TDs only to follow against Duke 2 weeks later with a 0TD and 4 INTs performance.

In the words of Denny Green, ” If you want to crown his *ss, then crown him, but he is who we thought he was.”

Honestly, I hope he is not who I thought he was and he can keep playing like that.

I first asked this question Back in the first part of July at the start of training camp.
I have Question. “Dose this team believe they are going to be good?” The only reason I ask is, I believe the Seahawks know their not just good but world champions. I believe the 49er’s will try and hammer any team who gets in their way, to git back to the playoffs. Now here comes the Rams.who were almost ready to compete for a spot last year. The Rams could be one of the most improved teams in the NFL this year, Now I was watching NFL football when the Rams wore blue and white and the Cardinals played in St..Louis and I have never seen one division so stacked up like the NFC West this year. I know it’s not “probable” but it is possible, that 4 teams in the same division, all to end up with winning records. Even more improbable all 4 with records of 13 and 3. A divisional perfect storm if you will. The Cardinals have to know there not just good, but know there better thin all comers , I believe that if a person works hard by committing them selves to excellence in there preparation and perfection of there execution they will achieve greatness in their play. But when a team commits these same principles not just, to themselves but to each other they May”Just become champions and have a chance, ” mind you”” to play against the rest of the best and lay claim as Best in the World.

After last nights, total team performance I believe this team may be the one, If they can continues to play with confidence in themselves and each other, the goal will becomes amplified and focused each step along the way to what may be the most infinite moment in all of there lives

I’m calling this early. SuperBowl 49 will be Cardinals vs. Cardinals East (Steelers) in a rematch of a few years ago. Too many story lines make this a great game. Former coaches, former players, first team to win superbowl on home field, etc. etc.

As for Thomas, it is not apparent that you are ready to nibble on crow as yet. And as I read your posts, you use history and stats to present your debate, not mere vague opinion. And as good as your are with the stats and your historical review, your stats may have been selectively chosen to reinforce your position on Thomas.

Some usable info omitted: such as Thomas having played for a mediocre team and had not proper coaching. Thomas was looked to as a savior at VTech instead of an integral part of the team. I saw him as sort of an island man with limited opportunity to develop. That opinion is somewhat 20-20 hindsight for me.

He will continue to prove his detractors wrong as long as our coaches see him as one of the probable future team leaders. Not even Bortles, who we both know was the best in the draft to this point, has the physical prowess of Thomas. His upside may have been the bright light Keim saw with hope, but he has shown there is more here than met the eyes a few months ago.

Bottom Line – I posted months ago that drafting most QB’s is a crap shoot. I just think after some review, Keim rolled a 7 coming out this time. And, I have tasted crow occasionally…it’s tolerable when I admit miscalculations…tastes like chicken !!

And for Housler, one play can’t erase history. I can still hold out hope for him, and after watching this 1st practice game, I think BA and Keim may default to him after a Ballard retirement and watching Fells drop a cheese ball… we’ll see… Be well….

One other thing I forgot to mention..and frankly has not been mentioned anywhere, I don’t think…. Logan Thomas did a very good job with exchanges to the RB’s… Usually a rook QB needs to work to be that smooth…..This is not always a gimme in a game…. later….

Jason
Where have you been, if you have been a Logan Thomas fan I sure could have used your help defending him as an NFL QB! I have been getting beat to hell on here since January when I first started throwing Logan’s name out as someone the Cardinals needed to take a serious look at (I have been following him since he was a freshman at VA Tech) and from day one I could see he had real potential
Almost everyday since the Cardinals drafted him I have taken heat, I’ve been fighting the fight pretty much alone, could have used your help back in may, June, even as recently as last week when I was posting back and forth with “Kenny”, got pretty heated and got hanged up on quite abit, (by the way, where is Kenny??) I would appreciate it if you would come on and post more often and help me convince most of these posters that he has a real shot and being an NFL QB, and the Cards QB of the future. I could really use an another “pro Logan poster when he has a bad game or doesn’t show well in practice, if you are a true Logan Thomas supporter then please post more regularly, I will be deploying again very, very soon and where I’am headed there is no internet, or TV’s or bathrooms for that matter!! I will not be able to defend my man!!! Please don’t post how you are a Logan Thomas fan then disappear for 7 months, we have to represent, we are the minority opinion on him, he hasn’t proven anything yet, its only 1 preseason game, but he did put on what heck of a show!!

br – – Just for the record, I have never been a Thomas detractor. I merely kept the harangue going that we needed to draft a QB and a TE for the long term… I knew very little about Thomas, but after I became familiar with his potential, I merely looked at the facts…and those facts show he can make it successfully in this league. I believe that Lindley should be given an option to look around so that he may be able to find a team rather than be cut last minute…. semper fi…..

Jason
After re-reading your post you are saying you were the first to suggest we draft Thomas, and all the time you spent debating and defending him???? My memory isn’t what it used to be but going back in the blogs particularly draft day and leading up to it, specifically when Darren posted our 4th round pick, and of the 60 some reply’s you are not found, I quickly went back and scanned previous days blogs, and again you posted nothing, admittedly I scanned through rather quickly, and if I missed your many posts defending Thomas then I do apologize, but it is looking more and more like you are trying to jump on the Logan Thomas bandwagon sir. The post that announced that we had drafted Thomas my reply was the strongest and most positive post, most were very negative, and SK&BA were put through the ringer, there were some real haters on there, most posters did not agree with the John Brown pick in the 3rd round, and it just got uglier when Logan was picked in the 4th round, of all the posts on the blog that day it was myself, coach k, and a few others (very few) that supported the Logan Thomas pick, Darren included, he was also defending both picks, another poster pointed out how the scouts, BA & SK do this for a living and know a heck of a lot more than any of us, I wish I could remember that posters name, but in the end I would guess that 99% of posters hated both Logan Thomas pick and John Brown pick, but I saw no posts from you at all, certainly no posts defending the pick, that to me screams bandwagon fan, I very rarely have issues with posters on here, I disagree with regular posters all the time and they disagree with my opinion, but in the end we are true lifelong Cardinals fans, and I respect them for their commitment, which is something bandwagon fans don’t have, commitment! I apologize to all the regular posters, you all know I very seldom, if ever post negative posts except when it comes to trolls and bandwagon jumpers, I have no tolerance for either! Until you can give me the dates of your so called numerous posts defending/debating the Logan Thomas pick I will no longer waste your time or mine responding sir. Have a great day.

By br in nc
Hey br! I know you know me…I can’t even remember what I posted back @ the draft? Been too long…I do remember I posted something large in support of the D-Buc pick, compairing him to A-Dub & moving down to get the additional 3rd Rnd pick! Genious! I think I originally felt between the John Brown & L Thomas selections, we should have taken an ILB…As I said ‘originally’ then later after looking at several draft grades sites I learned that after Shazier & Moseley went b4 us @ 20 the ILB grades dropped off significantly! I now believe that is why Keim (we) did not even go there…I was also torn between the potential of L Thomas vs Tom Savage??? So that said…Can you state the draft blog you were referring to w/the Jason posts??? I’m curious to see if I even posted on that blog??? I know as I said, I had thoughts…

Also, regarding final 53 cuts…Man this is going to be tuf this year! I am loving this WR group! I even like the two ARIZONA schools products! Unfortunately wrong year for those two! I now believe we way overpaid Ted Ginn! He wasn’t even missed Sat. night! The RB group is also deep! And some good talent will have to be let go of there also! Zach Bauman probably won’t even get a sniff…& what’s BA
gonna do w/the FullBack Robert Hughes??? He’s a beast! Ah, I know BA will hybridize him…. RB/blocking TE…Ha! Our practice squad is gonna get picked apart!

One last thing for br…I believe you were in huge man crush w/Marcus Lattimore….
just kidding…but have you seen Carlos Hyde??? He is, will be the 2nd coming of Frank Gore! He is big, & quick twitch, & hard to bring down! Scary potential!
Enuf of me!

I also find it strange that you claim that you’ve taken a beating since January when you first started throwing out Logan Thomas’s name, but you’re nowhere to be found in any of these comment strings where Logan Thomas is being debated all throughout January…weird.

Oh, and here is another comment string where I debate Logan Thomas with JTDG and wait for it……YOU.

Dr G
I’m sure I left some supporters of Thomas off my list above, I was venting, I have little to no tolerance for bandwagon jumpers, or fair weather fans, Having taken a little bit of time now I think my rant was a Tad overboard (although I still see no posts of “Jason” supporting or debating Logan Thomas, You are a knowledgeabel and respected poster on here, who’s opinion I may not always agree with but I always respect and value it, and as I have stated before, all who post on here and. are posting there opinion but they are regularly posting it and standing behind there convictions, and if the time comes and we have to swallow are pride and admit our mistakes, ie…we eat crow with dignity! (please notice I said WE, which for sure includes me!) And in the end I/we may be wrong about Thomas, but until then I will continue to support/defend him daily if need be. My biggest beef was with one poster, and going back in the postings I couldn’t find any posts let alone posts defending Thomas by this particular person., it wasn’t a knock on posters who thought it was a bad pick, PR who think he is not an NFL caliber QB, as long as they stand by their posts I respect their opinion. What was truly shocking was the number of negative “what the hell are they thinking” posts on J. Brown when we selected him in the third round, and the overall draft, a lot of posters were very adamant that the Cardinals had a horrible draft overall, but pretty much all of those were from posters that only log on and post once in a blue moon, and who now will be showing up since the season is getting closer, most will probably change their posting name, or will post how they had confidence all along and loved every pick! To funny! But I did see your posts on Thomas and just failed to add you to the list of supporters, I do apologize, but I was pretty much focused on my rant! LOL!

br. & jasonc – – Gents… I have training in conflict resolution…and would like to see you come to some ending on who gets credit for whatever… We all know that when we care not who gets the credit, we all work better together for common goals…and that is to support our promising team.

Bandwagoneers??? Many fans begin this way….they want to see good things before they invest their heart, time, and $$$$…. The stadium is full of them…remembering soooooo many home games for other teams in our house. Now, it is chaos for visitors, and an occasional fight in the stands.

Both of you have been good posters…br ..you are passionate… And…jason…you are astute in your observations… I have enjoyed both…stick around and enjoy the ride… My man Dockett and Sowell today just point our passion for the BEST GAME IN ANY TOWN!!!! Be well Cards Fans…

Jason,
First and foremost I’am truly sorry for your loss, other than coping with the loss of a child, losing a parent is the hardest passing to cope with, I send my heartfelt condolences.

After reading why you haven’t posted in awhile, it is obvious that football and blogs like these are meaningless. I’am however a man of my word, I noted that if I was wrong or overlooked the posts then I would apologize for my misguided rant, seeing those posts had jasonc and the recent post was under Jason in my haste I did not even consider they were the same person, I should have taken the time to ask if. Jason and jasonc were one in the same that was my stupidity. showing through, I should have asked if that were the case. and I could have saved face rather easily, but I don’t want to. sound like I’m making excuses, bottom line I was wrong about. your recent post, And I gladly and sincerely apologize. (I was raised that a man is only as good as his word, and without it he is nothing, as well a man stands up and takes responsibility, and admits when he is wrong.) So whether or not you accept my apology is totally up to you, I am also extending a “virtual olive branch” after all in the whole scheme of things, this is just a football fan blog sir, and not real important when all things in life are considered!

January was an estimate, was probably Feb, or Mar I know it probably was January because that is when I first got recalled to active duty and I was deployed the better part of the month, I never claimed to have a photographic memory, on the contrary I admited that my memory is not so good, I freely admitted that, bottom line, I didn’t put 2 & 2 together in my frustration Jason and jasonc didn’t add up to 4, or in this case, I didn’t consider that they were one in the same, actually happy you pointed out they were one in the same poster, after reading them and the positive posts you have for Thomas. I was searching for Jason not jasonc, but no matter, I was wrong and I apologize for the error, It wont be the first time and I can promise you it wont be the last time I’am wrong!

I appreciate the offer but I think i adequately stated my point and squashed the “conflict”. I wasn’t trying to take credit for Logan Thomas….me liking him in the draft process didn’t make the Cards pick him and it surely has no bearing on his success Saturday night. I was just stating facts when br took offense and launched into a ridiculous berating post questioning my validly when he could’ve gotten the same results if he had simply asked me.

br-

I appreciate your apology, but it was completely unnecessary. It didn’t upset me when you called me out and it doesn’t provide me any solace that you’re sorry. I understand that you felt some kind of way as the sole defender of Logan Thomas for months on end, but by the time you were calling for him in March JTDG, Dr G and I had already beat that debate into the ground. I left for deployment in late March and was gone until mid May so I missed many conversations, but you should do better research or at least have the decency to ask me before you resorted to such a scathing post.

Jason
Agreed! I posted that I quickly scanned the posts, as well I posted a couple of times the postings under “jasonc” went unnoticed at first, I was scanning for “Jason”, when I looked at them again it didn’t even click in my pea brain, as far as the apology, I had to whether you wanted it or not, I believe in taking responsibility for my mistakes (and yes, I have gotten pretty good at apologizing for my many, many mistakes!!) makes me feel better as well. I just hope we can put this behind us. (or at least off to the side abit! :) )we are both on the same team, or at least rooting for the same team, as well I noticed you said something about deploying, stating that you had not had time to post because of it? Is it safe to assume you are in the military? If so, that is 3 things we agree on sir, I retired after 22 years in the Marine Corps, was recalled in January (to my absolute shock!!) And very soon I ship over for tour #6! (Which of course is Logan’s #, just noticed that the other day! Getting older the brain is slowing way down on me!!) We both are Cardinal fans (I border on fanatic!!) And we both debated for Thomas, and defended him as an NFL QB, and not just any QB, but we both thought he would be a steal for the Cardinals, and become the QB of the future! We are in the minority big time when it comes to Logan Thomas and Cardinals QB, that’s for sure! Would like to say I’m sorry one more time, and “bury the hatchet”, and move on and talk some Cardinal football, if possible.

Big Al,
Sorry it took so long t respond in full, wrapping up final details and tying any loose ends before my departure.
As for your request look anytime between 10-16 May, I believe there was a lot of postings on 14 May don’t hold me to that exact date I was rushing through rather quickly (as you can see by the recent postings, I wrongly called someone out that turned out to be unjustified on my part do to hasty quick research!) but mid-may will get you close.
I believe going WR & QB instead of ILB was a very smart move on SK’s part as well (although I will freely admit Thomas was the only QB that I wanted them to use a pick on, with the exception of Bottles, which we all knew wasn’t falling to us at #20! But I didn’t think we should use even a late round pick on any QB but Thomas) the ILB’s in this past draft, were not near as deep as other positions, and most years it is a weak position, or there is 1, maybe 2 players that are very solid and ready for ILB in the NFL, then there is a huge dropoff of talent, next years ILB class doesn’t even have any 1st round talent IMHO, as well, most look to be a reach in the 2nd round, although college players still have this season, its possible someone emerges.
As far as our RB corps, I have to “tussle” with you on that one, (as long as “Big Al” doesn’t mean your 6-5/250lbs of rippling muscle!! LOL!) I just don’t think our RB’s are as solid as a group as they need to be, or we want them to be, I look at it and consider our running game a weakness (getting better though, compared to past years!) IMHO we are one unfortunate injury away from disaster. If Ellington were to go down (find some wood and knock on it that he remains healthy!!) we are unproven and untested behind him, the only semblance of experience is Dwyer and I just don’t think he is capable of being a feature RB. (Dang, I was hoping we would sign Toby Gerhart in FA when he left Minnesota, but that would have given us two #1 feature RB’s and one would of had to ride the pine more than either would want to! Again, my opinion only, but I think Gerhart is/was a hidden gem that the Jags got a workhorse and annual pro bowl participant, all he needed was a shot, now he has it, he actually did great in Minnesota even though he was the backup for the #1 RB in the NFL, when AP was injured Gerhart stepped up!!)
But anyway, it was not to be, not worth crying over spilt milk! Robert Hughes is a big surprise, he has been trying to solidly latch on in the NFL, he may have found a home, he should provide decent blocking, and power running between the tackles, as well, I think he was pretty decent catching short passes out of the backfield, Taylor will be fine as well he just needs reps in the regular season, I know he doesn’t look to have the body for NFL, but his heart is huge and his motor never ever quits, or never seems to run out of gas! I remember searching for Stanford games just to watch Taylor run wild! (And I despise PAC10 football, as you probably know, I’m a BG10 Guy…GO ILLINI!! And of course ECU! AAARRGH! GO PIRATES!!)

By br in nc
So br when do you ship out & how soon can we expect you back? I’m assuming
you’re saying we won’t be hearing much from you for awhile once you ship out?
Is that correct? Gpo easy on the Coke a Cola’s! Ha!

Maybe the RB group isn’t the best in the league…I meant that it’s the deepest as a group that I can remember…

He is one of many, Mendenhall is another (even though he is from by beloved Illini!!) Chris Perry Laurence Mulroney, Ron Dayne, Michael Bennett, Mikal Lashore. (Another Illini), I could go on and on, I know there are some I forgot, all these listed I am pretty sure were all first round picks, most are related to injuries, not sure why so many B10 RB’s are so injury prone once the get to the NFL, must just be a curse, one other that just popped into my head is Robert Holcomb, 2nd round pick, but I thought that was a reach, never the less, another ILLINI Alumni who just faded away in the NFL. Like I said, I’m sure there are many more, I know there is one from Penn St, but his name wont come to me right now, actually 2 from Penn St both were top 5 or 6 picks in the draft, one goes back to late 90’s I believe, but I just can’t place their names, sorry!

BigAl,
Hopefully very soon, the suspense is tearing me up as well (that calm before the storm stress is doing a number on me!!) I wont be able to post an exact day, operational security and all that official stuff, but if all goes as planned (which it very seldom does!!) There is/was a pretty good chance I would be back stateside a few days prior to our Cardinals having home field advantage in the Super Bowl, now that would be one hell of a homecoming!!!
I think the recent huge news story involving a very high ranking individual (not sure if you follow that kind of news at all, again not sure how much I can say on here, or any site) but that may be delaying “things”. If you follow that story you know what I’m talking about….sorry, wish I had more info or could give you more info.

The RB group is the deepest I can remember as well, I just think a lot is on potential, if your name isn’t Andre Ellington, you don’t have a lot of work under your belt, just a little scary to me, but BA is improving this team every year, give him time and he will have our running game hitting on all cylinders, maybe not this year, but soon!